Tales of knitting and Hillman Michigan's Long Lake

Tag Archives: Acorn Hill Pony

I am excited! This is “my” first pattern, offered free on Ravelry. Here’s the explanation for those quote marks around the my.

Acorn Hill Pony is originally a pattern attributed to a knitter associated with the Acorn Hill school, a Waldorf kindergarten and nursery now located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The school’s administrator, Janet Johnson, gave written permission for me to release the pattern. I’ve modified it just a bit. I’ve corrected a few errors in the original. And I’ve extensively re-written the pattern to conform to the sensibilities of modern knitters. So now knitters won’t have to deal with such directions as “increase on the 14th, 16th, 17th and 19th stitch.” I’ve photographed each stage of the pony’s construction and detailed the sewing up, stuffing, and finishing.

The school’s generosity in allowing the pattern to be released is greatly appreciated. They didn’t have a copy of it anymore in their archive–though the administrator remembered it. So it’s been saved for the school too.

Acorn Hill Pony is approximately 7.5 inches/19 cm long from nose to tail and 6 inches/ 5 cm from hoof to head. It is knit flat on needles 2-3 sizes smaller than typical for the yarn weight. This is because Acorn Hill Pony is shy about having his stuffing show through his hide. All mine are knit with worsted weight, often in Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted. I typically knit mine on a size 5 needle.

The pony is knit flat, in one piece, with easy sewing up. My version of the pattern includes assembly instructions with photos. It is suited even to beginner knitters.

When your pony is bound off, this is how it will look laid flat, with legs splayed out.

Folded along his spinal ridge, pony starts looking more like a pony.

My ponies don’t like to be displayed without their stuffing, but here’s one more view.

This is pony sewed and ready for stuffing.

All right, I know you want to see the pony butt, so here it is.

I made my first Acorn Hill pony when my son was 4 and was attending a Waldorf preschool. The school supplied the pattern and asked us to knit the ponies, stuff them with unspun wool, and donate them to the school fair. Did I knit ponies? I knit herds of ponies.

And over the years, I’ve totally lost count of how many I’ve made. Hundreds. Definitely hundreds.

Here’s one of the originals, knit in about 1990. Still looking good, despite a few trips through the washing machine.

Even the pony tail is still hanging on.

You can read up on more Acorn Hill Ponies here, and here, and here. And, in case you doubt that I’ve knit zillions, here’s glimpses of a few very old ponies–long before my photos improved with Steve’s remedial efforts aimed at me.

I am so grateful that a talented knitter designed this pony. Please consider giving this sweet and simple pattern a try for a young one in your neck of the woods.

I had 1/3 of a skein of this great hand-dyed Grande Merino worsted, from Karen Bradley of Kaloula Yarn, left over from my Portuguese Fisherwoman’s Shawl. It would likely have been enough for a hat. Probably. But the long runs of color could have made selection of a pattern tricky. I thought of Wurm, but slouchy Quaker Rib Wurm is a yarn hog.

I decided to return to a pattern I’ve knit something like 200 times since first being introduced to it in 1990 when my son attended a Waldorf preschool: Acorn Hill Pony.

I sewed them up on the drive to the lake this past weekend. For awhile, they perched on the dashboard.

Once stuffed, they need to get their braided tails and manes. That’s a modification I made to the pattern. Noro Kureyon is a big favorite for that.

The braiding takes about as long as the knitting.

One,

two,

three,

makes a herd.

You can check out more Acorn Ponies here, and here. Such a fun nostalgic knit. Thanks, Waldorf!

In May of 2017 I confirmed that the Acorn Hill kindergarten and nursery, now in SIiver Spring, Maryland is the original source of this pattern. They generously allowed me to repair a few errors in their one-page mimeographed pattern, add my not-so-Waldorfian manes, and update the directions to suit a modern knitter’s sensibilities. They even provided written permission allowing me to post the updated pattern as a Ravelry freebie, here. So, the knit goes on!